In an economy as volatile as a Twitter (a.k.a. ‘X’) thread on politics, understanding how to monetize your skills isn’t just smart; it’s necessary. We live in a world where traditional career paths unravel faster than a cheap sweater, and the ability to pivot and monetize new or latent skills can mean the difference between thriving and merely surviving. As someone who has navigated multiple careers—from teaching at ASU to launching or growing online businesses—the trajectory of my professional life underscores a single truth: the skills you need to monetize are often already at your disposal; you just need to recognize and frame them correctly.
Unearthing Marketable Skills: A Deep Dive into Your Professional Arsenal
The journey to identifying your marketable skills often begins with a deep dive into your experiences and an honest assessment of what you can offer. It’s about looking past job titles and formal education to the core competencies and transferable skills that can form the backbone of a successful online venture.
Personal Revelation: The Skills Beneath the Surface
My realization came during a period of professional unrest, when the allure of “just working hard and doing great things” began to wane, and the entrepreneurial itch became unavoidable. Amid this career tumult, the question wasn’t just what I wanted to do; it was what I could do. A thorough inventory of my experiences revealed not just academic prowess but a knack for simplifying complex concepts and a passion for technology and its impact on business. These weren’t just skills; they were marketable commodities.
Step 1: Conduct a Comprehensive Skill Audit
Start by listing every job, volunteer position, and serious hobby you’ve ever had. Next to each, write down what skills you needed to succeed in these roles. Don’t limit yourself to technical skills—include soft skills like communication, leadership, and problem-solving. This list will likely be long and varied, which is exactly what you want: a broad canvas from which to identify patterns or particularly strong skills.
Step 2: Validate Your Skills Through Feedback
Seek feedback from peers, former colleagues, or mentors who can provide an external perspective on your strengths. This process can help validate your self-assessment and may reveal additional skills you’ve overlooked. Feedback is also essential in understanding the market value of your skills—what others value most in your professional arsenal may surprise you.
Step 3: Research Market Demand
With a validated list of skills, the next step is to align them with market demand. This involves research into current and emerging industries, using online market data to identify trends and gaps in the marketplace for what you can bring to the table. Look for patterns where your skills overlap with market needs. This intersection is where your greatest opportunities to monetize lie.
Step 4: Consider Your Passion and Energy Levels
While market demand is critical, aligning your skills with your passions and where you naturally expend your energy is equally important. Skills that you are both good at and enjoy are more likely to result in a sustainable business endeavor. This alignment not only increases your potential for success but also ensures a more fulfilling entrepreneurial journey.
Step 5: Strategize Monetization Pathways
With a clear understanding of your marketable skills, strategize potential pathways to monetization. This could involve freelancing, consulting, creating digital products, or starting a full-fledged online business. Each pathway has different implications in terms of time investment, potential income, and scalability.
Leveraging Experience: The Case for a Skill-Based Portfolio
One effective strategy for showcasing your skills is to build a skill-based portfolio. This can be particularly powerful in the digital space, where tangible demonstrations of your skill set (such as systems or processes you’ve built, writing samples, or design projects) can be easily accessed by potential clients or partners worldwide.
Nurturing and Expanding Your Skill Set
Identifying your marketable skills is not a one-time exercise but a continuous process. The digital landscape is ever-evolving, and keeping your skills fresh and relevant requires ongoing learning and adaptation. Engage in continuous education—formal or informal—to enhance your skills and stay ahead of industry trends.
A Call to Action
In the digital age, your career security is dictated not by tenure or the benevolence of a single employer but by your ability to adapt and monetize your skills. The transition from traditional employment to online entrepreneurship is a formidable journey, yet one abundant with opportunities.
So, to those pondering their next career move or seeking to inject new life into their professional path, I say: dive deep into your professional self, assess and understand your marketable skills, and prepare to transform these into your next income stream. The future is autonomous, flexible, and ripe with potential. Your arsenal of skills is your currency in the burgeoning Internet-based economy. Spend it wisely, invest it well, and watch as it compounds into a career you not only need, but love.
Onward and upward,
Christopher Brya, Founder
DigitizeU
